Large bundle of correspondence between Pontecorvo and Professor McGeorge Bundy, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science, regarding Pontecorvo's visit to Harvard University and offer of a position to work in the Department of Biology there

Date:
Dec 1957-Aug 1958
Reference:
UGC 198/2/2/10/2
Part of:
Papers of Guido Pellegrino Arrigo Pontecorvo, geneticist, Professor of Genetics, University of Glasgow, Scotland
  • Archives and manuscripts
  • Online

Collection contents

Available online

Contains: 29 images

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Credit

Large bundle of correspondence between Pontecorvo and Professor McGeorge Bundy, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science, regarding Pontecorvo's visit to Harvard University and offer of a position to work in the Department of Biology there. In copyright. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider

The original material is held at <a href="http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/archives/" rel="nofollow">Glasgow University Archive Services.</a> This catalogue is held by the Wellcome Library as part of Codebreakers: Makers of Modern Genetics.

About this work

Description

In the correspondence Pontecorvo outlines some of his worries and questions relating to the post at Harvard, such as funding, responsibilities, research grants, and retirement prospects, and Professor McGeorge Bundy does his best to answer each query. They also discuss the composition and future of the Department of Biology at Harvard. At one point in their long discussion Pontecorvo writes to let Professor McGeorge Bundy know that he has been offered the Chair of Genetics at Cambridge but "the conditions are so incredible that the chance of my accepting it is rather small.". In his next letter he mentions "Cambridge is off. I have failed to make them be sensible in respect of the facilities for Genetics".

In the end Pontecorvo turned down the position at Harvard stating that, "my wife and I have come to the conclusion that we are now too old for the change".

Publication/Creation

Dec 1957-Aug 1958

Physical description

15 letters (29 pages)

Biographical note

McGeorge Bundy was United States National Security Advisor to Presidents John F Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson from 1961 through 1966, and president of the Ford Foundation from 1966 through 1979. He is known primarily for his role in escalating the involvement of the United States in Vietnam during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Prior to this he was Professor of Government at Harvard University and became Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences in 1953.

Location of duplicates

A digitised copy is held by the Wellcome Library as part of Codebreakers: Makers of Modern Genetics.

Terms of use

Open and available at Glasgow University Archives Service.

Where to find it

Location of original

The original material is held at Glasgow University Archive Services. This catalogue is held by the Wellcome Library as part of Codebreakers: Makers of Modern Genetics.

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